City Water filling my tank.

[Milly]

Just recently i have come home to the water tank leaking because I am at 100% even though I didn't fill the tank up. I am only on city water. I can not find a valve that connects the two and I thought the only way to fill the water tank was to connect to it outside. This is a 2018 25FB. Thanks for any insights.

[SteveSueMac]

Hi. This is likely a broken or clogged check valve in your water pump. Many threads here on this - I’m hoping the link below takes you to one of them with a lot of insight including links to many other threads on the same topic. As a 2018, I’m assuming you could just have that fixed as a warranty repair.

Good luck!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f163...nk-167100.html

[A W Warn]

Turn the water off at the hose bib, then release the pressure at a sink faucet inside the trailer.
Then turn the pump on and off a few times letting water run at the sink.
This should clear any loose debris that might be inside the pump diaphragm. (when there is debris holding the rubber diaphragm open it will let water bypass into the tank)

If it leaks after running the pump a few times, it could have a defect in the pump, or have a small grain of stone lodged in the diaphragm seal. Or, if water was left inside the pump and it froze it could have damaged the pump.

The pump warranty, if it is a Shurflo, is only 12 months from first use or two yeas from date of manufacture, whichever comes first.

The video below shows a small gravel lodged under the diaphragm. Most of the time it is scale, or sand, or even some algae from inside the tank that will pass through. In any case, this video gives you an idea of what the problem is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-GbfRkFT3Y

[Milly]

Thanks for the insight. Is the water pump at the water heater? I'd like to fix it myself but I cant locate the check valve.

[AtomicNo13]

Also consider having water pressure that is too high. The regulator at the city water inlet is also probe to failure, and might allow overpressure to bypass the check valve in the pump.

[aftermath]

I believe that your water pump is below the hall closet. There is a door below the closet that hinges. There is no visible sign that this is a door but it can be opened by grasping the end and pulling outward. If my memory is working I think it is hinged on the right side....or was it the left? Sheesh this getting old is really challenging.


Once you get the door open you can see the pump. When I am working on mine I will also remove the back of the small storage area just below the fridge.

[Milly]

That was the spot. Now I pulled the screen out to clean it and I cant get the pump to prime.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Milly

Thanks for the insight. Is the water pump at the water heater? I'd like to fix it myself but I cant locate the check valve.

The check valve is the rubber piece that gets folded back in the video. In other words, it is not really a separate check valve. The pump diaphragm acts like a check valve. City water pressure keeps it sealed, normally.

Originally Posted by Milly

That was the spot. Now I pulled the screen out to clean it and I cant get the pump to prime.

If any air can get into the filter/screen housing it will stop the pump from priming. It can be difficult to get the two pieces of the housing installed properly with the rubber properly compressed in between, since access/view is not so good. If your filter is like mine, I suggest you try separating the two parts, then re-assembling, first making sure both tabs are aligned with the slots.

ps: it will not harm the pump if you let it run dry for several minutes. It may take a few minutes to pickup the water from the tank. But, if trash is holding the diaphragm open, it will not prime since it cannot create suction.

ps2: Did you try to clear debris as I suggested in a prior post? Did the pump move water then?

[StuartsDad]

We had same issue with our 2018 on it's first outing. As mentioned by others, we turned off city water and ran on pump for a couple days to pull down tank level. Turned city water back on, some still getting by and into tank, but much slower. Mentioned to dealer when we got home, but didn't have time to get it into shop before next trip, but were told they would replace pump whenever we could get it to them. We lucked out, since second outing, problem gone.

[aftermath]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

...
If any air can get into the filter/screen housing it will stop the pump from priming. ...

ps: it will not harm the pump if you let it run dry for several minutes. It may take a few minutes to pickup the water from the tank. But, if trash is holding the diaphragm open, it will not prime since it cannot create suction...

That was a great video and it helped me see how the water can flow backwards and fill the tank. This has never happened to me but when/if it does I will know where to look. Thanks


I snipped a portion of your post. I blow my lines to winterize. One of the last steps is to run the pump dry. I do believe that my filter/screen housing is devoid of water. I have never, in 9 years, had a water pump failure due to freezing. I also have never had a problem with getting the prime back when dewinterizing. Perhaps I missed something here.


P.S. No it will not harm the pump if you run it dry. On an older trailer I actually left mine running for about 3 hours without any damage. One of those learning experiences.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

The pump warranty, if it is a Shurflo, is only 12 months from first use or two yeas from date of manufacture, whichever comes first.

Unless things have changed, if the Airstream warranty is longer than the components warranty, Airstream will cover it. That shorter manufacturer's warranty only becomes important if you are having the defective part replaced by an authorized manufacturer's service provider that is not an Airstream dealership. I remember have my A/C unit serviced down in Florida which was covered by a Duo-Therm authorized servicer. They came to the campground to do the repair.

Now in some cases you will find components that actually have a longer warranty than Airstream's. For example the system monitor panel that was on my Classic actually had a 5 year manufacturers warranty. And 4 years into its life the manufacturer sent me a new one due to a burnt out LED. Wasn't covered by Airstream at that point.

Jack

[arpjensen]

I had the same issue - I had to take it in for warranty work. It was a malfunctioning water pump. The Airstream dealer fixed it and I have had no further issues.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by aftermath

That was a great video and it helped me see how the water can flow backwards and fill the tank. This has never happened to me but when/if it does I will know where to look. Thanks


I snipped a portion of your post. I blow my lines to winterize. One of the last steps is to run the pump dry. I do believe that my filter/screen housing is devoid of water. I have never, in 9 years, had a water pump failure due to freezing. I also have never had a problem with getting the prime back when dewinterizing. Perhaps I missed something here.


P.S. No it will not harm the pump if you run it dry. On an older trailer I actually left mine running for about 3 hours without any damage. One of those learning experiences.

The OP said the screen was cleaned, then afterward the pump would not pickup water (prime itself). To do this cleaning the bowl had to be separated into two parts. If the bowl was re-assembled in a way that the rubber seal was leaking air the pump would not be able to prime itself, even if the pump ran for hours. I was trying to let them know there may be an air leak.

I thought the same as you regarding water being purged from the bowl. The filter is in a horizontal position in my trailers. Once I started using pink antifreeze I can see that some pink liquid is left in the bottom half of the bowl.

BTW, I've been an Airstream owner for more than 25 years, owned 6 different trailers. I have leaned every trailer is not the same. What works for one might not work for another.
I used compressed air for winterizing the first four trailers, without any problems. However my Safari will not drain properly when winterized using compressed air, because some pipes are not positioned to drain properly. I learned this when I had to replace a pump after it froze and cracked, because water drained back into it after compressed air stopped flowing.

ps:
if you use compressed air to winterize, I suggest the final step in winterizing should be to disconnect the outlet pipe from the pump and momentarily turn the pump on to eject the last bit of water from the pump head. Disconnecting that outlet pipe is important!

[Mario Simard]

Had the same problem. If you do not have easy/rapid access to a dealer, you can call Airstream and they will send you a new pump free of charge (if still on warranty of course). And it is very easy to replace the old one. No special tool or expertise required. Even me I was able to do it.

[Granitefines]

Same problem when hooked up to city water in Florida. After snowbirding, towed our 2017 FC up to New Jersey, connected to city water there and didn’t have the problem. The problem seemed to fix itself, but now I carry a spare pump.

[Thomas31]

Not to discount the water pump issues discussed, I make it a habit to turn off the water at the source when I leave the AS for any length of time.

[AirstreamInc]

Originally Posted by Milly

Just recently i have come home to the water tank leaking because I am at 100% even though I didn't fill the tank up. I am only on city water. I can not find a valve that connects the two and I thought the only way to fill the water tank was to connect to it outside. This is a 2018 25FB. Thanks for any insights.

Hi Milly,*

Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at*customer_support@airstream.com*

Thank you.*